DIY Christmas Tree Yard Decoration

Brighten up your yard for the holidays with this DIY Christmas tree yard decoration! This modern take on the typical Christmas tree lights up at night and looks beautiful in the daytime too!

Want to create your own outdoor Christmas tree yard decoration this holiday season? This modern version, made with 3/4″ plywood, might be just what you need to bring your house from bah humbug to bright and cheery!

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Instructions

This was my first time using a woodworking pattern, but it was really easy! The Winfield Collection website has lots of cute projects, with full paper patterns of every piece. I can barely draw a stick figure, so it’s nice to have the artistic part done for me!

Place a sheet of carbon tracing paper between the plywood and the paper pattern. Tape both down to the plywood with painters tape.

Trace the entire pattern onto the plywood, including the spots where you’ll drill holes for the lights.

Remove the tracing paper and pattern. Elevate the plywood above your work surface with scrap pieces of wood so you don’t cut into the surface. Then cut out the tree with a jigsaw.

My string of lights had 200 bulbs, so I decided to add extra holes for an even brighter outdoor Christmas tree display! The original holes were 2″ apart, so I marked an additional one in between at 1″.

Test drill bits to see which one fits best with your light bulbs. The 7/32″ bit worked perfectly with my mini bulbs. Then drill holes through each marking on your tree.

Now, we paint! Be sure to use outdoor paint for this project, to protect the wood from rain or snow. I went with the same white paint as our outdoor storage bench, which has survived several wet winters.

Once the paint is dry, insert a bulb into each hole, starting at the top of the tree. It looks like an electrical mess on the back, so plan to place your tree in a part of the yard where you can’t see all the wires.

Staple the wire to the back with 3/8″ staples between the bulbs to hold it in place. Be careful not to staple through the wire, or you’ll have to do some splicing to get the circuit working again (ask me how I know!)

At the bottom of the tree, attach two tent stakes to the back with conduit straps. This type with the T top fits perfectly in the 1/2″ conduit strap and keeps the Christmas tree firmly in the ground.

Now your Christmas tree yard decoration is ready to go in the garden! Mine is displayed right by our front steps, and brightens up our walkway with its twinkling lights.